The Shuk is an open-air food market and where Israelis buy their weekly groceries. It’s lively, colorful, and a lot less expensive than the supermarket. It’s also an important space for community, where you have “your butcher”, “your cheese man”, and develop relationships with vendors and stands. I love the open air, hustle-and-bustle feeling of this market, and I don’t quite get the same feeling standing in the 30 minute checkout line at my local Trader Joes. The standard Israeli grocery purchases are also a lot less processed- lots of vegetables, fruits, pita, chicken, eggs- basics that lead to a more healthy lifestyle.

I’d love to find a local farmer’s market to buy my produce from more regularly and also make an attempt to eat more “real” foods, something I’ve already been slowly transitioning towards. As a native New-Yorker I’ve always been sort of entranced and jealous of the relationships I’ve seen people have with their local butcher or bakery (mostly on TV or in my small college town) because I feel like that rarely happens here, but who knows- maybe I can find that with somebody too.

I invite you to incorporate any of these sorts of experiences into your own daily lives as well. Travel is a great way to get inspiration on how to do your own life a little bit better.